Israeli strikes take out Iran supreme leader's top generals

Arsalan Shahla, Bloomberg News on Jun 13, 2025

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Israel killed Iran’s top generals in predawn attacks on Friday, paralyzing Tehran’s military decision making in what may prove to be the opening act of a prolonged war.

Among those killed were Armed Forces’ Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Both men were appointed directly by and reported to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and formed the backbone of Iran’s military command. Ardent Khamenei loyalists, Bagheri and Salami were responsible for Iran’s defense strategy, and have since 2020 become more involved in the management of Iran’s proxy network of allied groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Khamenei swiftly appointed replacements for both after the news of their death emerged, but the names of the new IRGC head and the army’s chief of staff reported by state media changed within hours, highlighting the sense of confusion in Tehran.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said most of IRGC’s air command was killed during a meeting they had in an underground bunker.

Israel pledged more attacks, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying they “will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”

Khamenei said that Israel would pay a “heavy price” in return for Friday’s strikes. Iran launched dozens of unmanned aircraft in retaliation, many of which were intercepted outside Israel’s airspace, according to the country’s Army Radio.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said six nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli strikes, including Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Another key commander targeted by Israel was Gholam Ali Rashid, head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, a coordination hub between Iran’s conventional army and the Revolutionary Guard.

The killings add to the blows Iran and its allies have suffered since the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Several senior figures linked to Tehran’s regional network have been killed, including the heads of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas.

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—With assistance from Thomas Hall.